Hope for Life
by Gozilla
Summary: Trunks was about to return to the past to give the heart disease antidote to Goku when a tragedy hit. Would he be able to survive it?
1. Default Chapter

Hope For Life  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hi there! It is a yet another Future Trunks-centred self-inserted story. I got inspired by another fic which was a "what-if" story (Extremely sorry that I have forgotten the name of the fic. It was a very good fic. ^-^).  
  
The story is set before Trunks goes back to the past to give the antidote to Goku. What if something tragic happened which just before he left for the past?  
  
Enjoy talking. Please enjoy!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In the future timeline~  
  
"Mum?" Trunks shouted against all the noises echoed across the basement of the Capsule Corporation mansion, "Time for dinner!"  
  
The 16 years old youth stood at the door and waited for the noise to die down. But he found no trace of the noise stopping. Trunks sighed and walked down to the basement, looking for his mother.  
  
It had been almost 3 months since his last battle with the androids. He barely survived that battle and it took him a good two months before he was fully recovered. Ever since that near death experience, he realised that he was no match to the androids and that how fragile one's life was. He felt guilty for not listening to his mother in the first place. So he stayed out of any confrontation with the androids and accompanied his mother as much as possible during the last month.  
  
Bulma, on the other hand, spent most of her time working on the time machine. She knew that she couldn't risk wasting any more time as Trunks might not be lucky enough to escape death in the next battle with the androids.  
  
During the last month, Bulma spent around 15 hours a day working on the time machine. She left the all housework and shopping to her son. She was very surprised to see her home getting cleaner and tidier over time since the "handover" to Trunks. She even thought of handing over the housework to her son permanently.  
  
"Mum?" Trunks shouted again as he approached his mother, who was totally concentrated on the machine. The noise was making his sensitive ears hurt, "Take a break! It's time for dinner!"  
  
Finally Bulma stopped the work and pulled off the mechanic mask, "Trunks? What time is it? Oh, it's nine already? Sorry I didn't notice. Let's go upstairs and eat."  
  
"So, what's for dinner? I hope it is not some mushy burnt dishes." Bulma asked as she threw an arm around her son's shoulder playfully.  
  
Even after all the tragedies, Bulma had been able to keep her optimistic attitude. She always tried to cheer up her son as she knew that Trunks was under tremendous pressure of being the last hope of the world while not having enough strength to save it from the androids.  
  
Trunks blushed at the question, "Mum! Would you stop making fun of my cooking skills? It has been improved a lot and I made your favourite dish tonight."  
  
"Really?" Bulma smiled, "I can't wait to try that." as the two continued to walk towards the kitchen.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~30 minutes later~  
  
Bulma stretched and leaned back against the chair, patting her stomach satisfactorily, "Hmm... Your cooking has definitely improved. Whoever become your wife will be very lucky." as she winced an eye to Trunks.  
  
"Mum!" Trunks protested, heavily blushing. He started picking up the bowls and dishes for clean up.  
  
Bulma laughed, "Trunks, you are 16 years old already. Don't be so thin- skinned. You should go out and get to know some girls. You may find your wife out there."  
  
"Mum!!!" Trunks protested again, his face as red as a tomato.  
  
"Ok, ok." Bulma said, still laughing, "Back to business. I want you to help me to shop for a week's food and groceries tomorrow morning."  
  
Trunks was puzzled, "Why such a rush? There are still a few days' supplies in the storeroom."  
  
Bulma smiled victoriously, "Because you are going back to the past tomorrow. The time machine has been completed."  
  
"Really?" Trunks asked excitedly, jumping off the chair, "So I can bring the antidote to Goku-san and change the history. And I can meet otousan. I really want to get to know him more."  
  
"I think you should not expect too much about your father." Bulma looked at her excited son, starting to worry what the past Vegeta might do to his not-yet-existed son.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Early next morning~  
  
Trunks drove the old family car to the nearest market to shop for food and groceries as his mother asked him to do. There were only a few of these markets left as people were afraid that the crowds would attract the attention of the androids.  
  
Trunks bought the supplies quickly. He was about to leave the market when he was hit by a gigantic ki ball at the back, totally off-guarded.  
  
The violent explosion sent great panic to the people around the area. They screamed and ran blindly among the cloud of dust and debris created by the explosion.  
  
A man ran and bumped into two figures. He fell to the ground and yelled angrily, "Hey! Watch where you are going! You son of a..." he stopped yelling and his eyes wide-opened as he realised that he was yelling at his worst nightmare, the two androids. He quickly crawled away, crying and screaming all the way.  
  
17 and 18 simply ignored the screaming humans. 18 sighed in annoyance, "Look what you have done. I told you not to play this stupid ambush game. Now you have probably killed the last of your more durable toys."  
  
17 smiled, no trace of regret could be found on his face, "How could I know that he is so weak? You know, it has been three whole months since we last played with him. He has never been in a hideout for so long. We have completely destroyed two cities and he did not even show himself. I was excited when I saw him from the sky. I guess we will have to look for some other toys from now on."  
  
Then something caught their attention. As the cloud of dust slowly faded away, they saw a figure lying beside the twisted remains of a used-to-be car. When they approached the figure, they saw the purple-hair youth was still breathing.  
  
Trunks was unconscious and severely injured with deep wounds all over his body. His blood was forming a pool under his body.  
  
"How amusing!" 17 said happily, kicking lightly on the side of the youth, "18, look! He is still alive! This is so incredible! He must be getting stronger than we have expected!"  
  
18 spat in disgust, "What so good about it? He will not survive in this condition anyway. He will probably die in a few minutes. Why don't you just kill him now?"  
  
An evil smile spread across 17's face, "No, I won't kill him now. I want to make this game even more interesting. 18, do you remember our fight with the other Z-warriors years ago? You recall how they had increased their power dramatically after seeing their friends being killed right in front of their eyes?"  
  
"Yeah? So?" 18 said, unconcerned.  
  
"I want to try an experiment on this brat." 17 said as he half-kneeled beside Trunks, who was still unconscious. He searched Trunks' jacket and found a licence card with the address of the Capsule Corporation on it.  
  
"Listen, brat." 17 grabbed the youth's purple hair and held up his head, "Now I know where you live and I am going to kill whoever is in the house now. See if you can stop me and save them."  
  
17 stood up and turned to 18, "Let's go." but he stopped after taking only 2 steps.  
  
"Now what?" 18 said impatiently. She turned to see a stunned face of her brother, who was looking at his feet. She following 17's glaze and saw a hand holding firmly on his ankle.  
  
It was Trunks. He felt his whole body was falling apart. He was shivering at the excruciating pain and his face was covered with sweat.  
  
"No..." he protested weakly, "Don't you dare touching my mother..."  
  
17 smiled evilly and kicked off Trunks' hand on his ankle, "We'll see about this." as he and 18 flied off towards the Capsule Corporation mansion.  
  
Trunks used all his strength to get up, almost passed out with the pain. He flied home as fast as his battered body could carry him. His mind screaming, "Mum, please, please wait for me! I am coming! Please!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~20 minutes later~  
  
Trunks forgot all about his injuries and the pain. He kneeled on the floor of the burning Capsule Corporation mansion and could only stare at a hand extended under a pile of rubbles which used to be a large wall. A hand, which belonged to his mother, holding two items in it, a capsule and a small bottle of transparent liquid.  
  
It was too late. By the time he got home, the androids were nowhere to be seen, leaving the broken Capsule Corporation mansion in flame. Trunks ignored the intensive heat of the flame and rushed into the building, desperately searching for his mother.  
  
All he could find was the broken body of Bulma under a pile of rubbles. She had managed to capsulate the time machine and to protect the antidote for Goku before the androids could destroy them. But she did not make it.  
  
Trunks wanted to cry, but no tear came out of his eyes. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth. His mind went completely blank, his body trembling.  
  
"Well, well, well. Look who is finally here." a crude voice came.  
  
17 stood at the door, smiling satisfactorily. 18 was beside him, her face indifference.  
  
17 walked slowly towards Trunks, "You are better than I thought. I didn't expect you could even make it here alive. Now, according to the seriousness of your injuries, you will probably die on the spot even if we don't touch you. Instead of letting you just to waste your life away like that, how about if you let me to have the fun to actually kill you?"  
  
Surprisingly, Trunks did not feel any fear as his death approached him, *Now I have nothing to live for. Actually it is not a bad idea to die quickly so that I can meet my family and friends in the other world.*  
  
He closed his eyes and prepared to accept the embrace of death.  
  
*Trunks, you are our last hope. You must travel back in time and bring the antidote to Goku... you must...* the sound of his mother rang across Trunks' mind.  
  
*No! I can't die! Not now!" Trunks screamed in his mind, his eyes snap opened, *I must accomplish mum's last request before I die! I must bring the antidote to Goku-san! It is mum's last wish!!*  
  
He dodged a powerful ki ball released by 17, leaving it to hit the ground and explode. "What?" 17 and 18 yelled in unison. They looked around, but the cloud of dust blocked everything from sight.  
  
In the chaos, Trunks went quickly to get the capsule and antidote from his mother's hand. His heart twisted in pain as he touched the icy cold hand of the very last person he fought and lived for.  
  
Trunks charged out of the building as quickly as his body could carry him, taking his sword which laid on his way out. He activated the capsule and threw it to the soft ground.  
  
The time machine appeared with a soft "bomb" sound. Trunks quickly got into the pilot seat and started the engine. The machine rose to the sky as the androids ran out of the building.  
  
"Do you think you can escape from us?" 17 shouted, a dark chilling smile on his face. He threw a powerful ki ball towards the time machine.  
  
*Kami! Please let me complete mum's last wish before I die!!!* Trunks yelled in his mind as he watched the deadly ki ball approaching.  
  
The time machine disappeared with a strong flash of light, just a second before the ki ball would have hit it.  
  
"Nani?" 17 shouted, his smile was replaced by confused and angry look, "Where did he go? 18, did you see where that brat has gone?"  
  
18 shrugged, unconcerned, "How am I suppose to know? I told you to kill that brat quickly ages ago. Now you have let him escaped again." and she turned to walk away.  
  
"Arrgghhh..." 17 groaned in frustration, "How dare he fooled me like this!! I don't care! I am going to tear that brat into a thousand pieces the next time I see him!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Inside the time machine~  
  
Twisted ray of light thundered around the time machine. Trunks looked at the amusing show of display with unfocused eyes. The massive loss of blood was taking its toll on the youth. He felt drained and very weak.  
  
Slowly, he closed his eyes, *Kami, please let me complete mum's last wish before I die..." as he drifted to sleep, holding tightly the antidote for Goku in his bloodied hand.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! ^-^ 


	2. Chapter 2: Battle of life or death

Hope For Life  
  
By Gozilla  
  
November 2003  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 2: Battle of life or death  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~30 minutes later, inside the time machine~  
  
A strong vibration awoke the passenger. Trunks opened his eye and could only see a sea of red. He blinked a few times and realised that it was his own blood all over his face and eyes. When he finally clear his vision, he saw the time machine landed in the middle of a plain surrounded by walls of mountains.  
  
He tried to get up from the pilot seat. But he fell back to the seat as excruciating pain from the inside of his body struck him, hard. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to subside, *This is even worse than I have expected. My internal organs must be seriously injured. It is a miracle that I am still alive, thought barely. I could have dropped dead at any moment from now.*  
  
He looked at the sky. Unlike the sky of his timeline, which was always dusty and reddish, the sky in this timeline was clear and bright blue. Trunks, however, missed the ugly sky of his timeline.  
  
*Mum...* a tear escaped his eyes, the very first tear he shed since the death of his mentor, Gohan, *I am sorry that I failed to protect you. I am so sorry. I will complete your last wish no matter what. Please protect me so that I can live until I give the antidote to Goku-san. Then I will join you in the other world...*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~30 minutes later, somewhere among the mountains~  
  
The Z-warriors watched in horror as a gigantic spaceship flied pass them, all sensed the powerful ki of Freeza and his father, Cold.  
  
The group was greatly shaken by the overwhelming power of the father and son. They could only watch as Freeza ordered his alien troops to kill all the people on earth as a 'welcome home gift' to Goku, who was still on the way to earth.  
  
Out of thin air, flashes of light appeared. Three of the aliens fell to the ground, each cut into half.  
  
"Oh..." Freeza said, an evil smile appeared on his scarred face, "An insect wanting to be the first victim of the Freeza troop."  
  
Trunks stood in front of the group of aliens, using his sword as a support to his very battered body. He looked at Freeza and Cold, panting, "I won't let you to lay a hand on any of the human. I promised her that I will make sure the place would stay intact when Goku-san returns to earth."  
  
Freeza spat, "Do you have a problem with your mind? Who the hell is 'her'? I don't know what you are talking about. But as you are on that Saiyajin's side, you must die right here."  
  
Freeza turned to the troops, "Get rid of this insect and start cleaning up the humans!"  
  
"Yes, sir!" the alien warriors replied as they started charging at the lavender-hair youth.  
  
Flashes of light.  
  
Trunks appeared behind the alien warriors, holding the sword tightly in his hand. One by one, the aliens fell to the floor. Unable to hold up anymore, Trunks let out a yell in pain as the numerous wounds all over his body inflicted in the previous fight with the androids re-opened due to his large movements and started bleeding heavily.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Z-warriors watched in horror as they saw blood dripping from every part of the mysterious fighter.  
  
"Piccolo-san," Gohan said, "Should we go and help him? I mean, I know he is really strong. But it seems that he was badly hurt before he comes. I am not sure if he can fight Freeza under this condition."  
  
Piccolo thought for a while, "I don't know. We are not sure if he is a friend or a foe. Besides, I can sense that he has certain hidden power inside. We should be more careful with him."  
  
Vegeta watched the scene with intensed eyes. He, too, sensed that the lavender-hair youth was no ordinary fighter, but he was not sure why he had this feeling.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Freeza scanned the bodies of his troop with his cold unconcerned eyes.  
  
"Impressive." he said as he fixed his gaze at the bloodied youth, "It seems that now I have to take care of you and the human by myself. Anyway, with your condition like this, why don't you just find a quiet corner and die? That way, I don't have to waste any time on a dying person."  
  
Trunks inhaled deeply, fighting against the pain, "Don't you worry, I will. But I will take you and the monster behind you with me." Deep inside his heart, he knew that he had no chance to win the two monsters in front of him without changing into SSJ, *I doubt how long my body can stand under the SSJ status with the injuries... But I don't have a choice...*  
  
"You arrogant brat! You will regret on what you have just said when you are on the way to hell!" Freeza yelled as he shot a powerful ki ball at Trunks. The ki ball exploded violently.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Z warriors hid behind the mountain to avoid the after-wave of the explosion. When they returned, they could only see a gigantic crater at the point where the mysterious fighter stood, with a cloud of dust in the middle of it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Weakling." Freeza laughed evilly, "Remember not to mess with someone as powerful as I am in your next life!"  
  
Freeza's laugh stopped abruptly as a deep voice came within the cloud of dust, "What's so funny about it?"  
  
Suddenly, a powerful golden ki blew the dust away like a tornado. Trunks stood in the middle of the crater, in his SSJ form.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Gohan murmured, "He... he is a super Saiyajin... Just like father did in the Namek planet..."  
  
Vegeta watched in disbelieve, "How... how could he..." he asked in shock.  
  
Piccolo, who was covered in cold swear, "What the hell is going on here? Who is he? Is he a Saiyajin as well?"  
  
The Z-warriors were confused, but, at the same time, a light of hope appeared.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
With lightening speed, Trunks charged towards Freeza, with his sword in his hand. In the next second, Freeza fell to the ground in a dozen pieces.  
  
Trunks, on the other hand, stumbled and fell to the ground. He had returned to his normal status and fell to his knees, with his sword dropped beside him.  
  
He could barely stay conscious under the excruciating pain from the inside of his body. The transformation to SSJ had worsened his already-severe internal injuries. He cupped his mouth but couldn't stop throwing up blood.  
  
*No!* he screamed in his mind, *I can't die! Not now! Not until I give the antidote to Goku-san!*  
  
With all his attention drawn to deal with the pain, Trunks did not notice that Cold was sneaking behind him.  
  
Carefully, Cold picked up Trunks sword and towered over the youth, "Die, you worthless low class creature!" as he struck the sword towards Trunks.  
  
"No!!!!" Gohan shouted and charged towards Cold, firing ki balls at Cold.  
  
"Stupid brat!" Piccolo cursed as he charged after Gohan, sending ki-ray at Cold.  
  
The other Z-warriors followed and started attacking Cold, though they knew very much that they didn't stand a chance of defeating the monster.  
  
Cold turned to the group and smiled evilly, "How come there are so many insects wanting to die today?" as he swung the sword towards the group. The powerful air pressure created by the swing pushed the weaker members of the Z-warrior away, leaving Gohan, Vegeta and Piccolo on the attack.  
  
But Cold was far too strong for the three. All too soon, the three were defeated and scattered around the area, battered and exhausted.  
  
"Weaklings." Cold spat and walked towards Trunks, who was still kneeling on the ground after defeating Freeza. Cold held up the sword, ready to kill the biggest threat to him on the spot.  
  
"No!!" Gohan charged and stood between Cold and Trunks.  
  
The evil smile on Cold's face widened, "Well, insect, I will kill you along with him." as he struck the sword towards Gohan.  
  
The sword stopped abruptly in mid-way. Cold watched in fear as he saw a bloodied hand caught the blade and stopped the sword with an iron grip.  
  
It was Trunks. He stood and held the sharp blade with his bare hand, blood started dripping from the newly formed wound in his palm. He slowly looked up, meeting the eyes of Cold, "Don't you even dare thinking about killing Gohan..." as his other hand reached Cold's chest.  
  
Golden ki suddenly surrounded Trunks as he turned to SSJ and a ray of golden light punched through the monster's chest, killing Cold instantly.  
  
Trunks returned to his normal state and collapsed to the ground.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! 


	3. Chapter 3: Returning home

Hope For Life  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thank you so much to those who reviewed the fic! I thought there was no one reading it. ^-^  
  
For all who read this, I wish you all a HAPPY and FRUITFUL NEW YEAR!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 3: Returning home  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Gohan reached the mysterious fighter, "Oniisan! Oniisan! Please hang on!" He turned to Krillin, "Krillin-san, do you have the senzu bean with you? Can I give one to oniisan?"  
  
"Yes, I have a few with me. Here, take one." Krillin replied as he passed a senzu bean to Gohan.  
  
"Thanks." Gohan took the bean and handed it to Trunks, "Oniisan, please swallow it. It will heal your injuries immediately."  
  
To everyone's surprise, Trunks shook his head.  
  
"Thank you, Gohan." Trunks said weakly, "I really appreciate it. But I won't take it. I don't need it."  
  
"Oniisan, what do you mean you don't need it?" Gohan asked in confusion, "You may not make it if you don't treat your injuries immediately."  
  
Trunks looked at the Gohan's concerned look and smiled, "Gohan, I really don't need it. I just need to make it for another hour."  
  
Gohan was very confused by Trunks' words. But he respected the other's decision, "Then at least let me treat your wounds."  
  
Trunks did not object, he was too weak to argue. So he closed his eyes and nodded lightly.  
  
Gohan smiled at the approval. He borrowed the first-aid kit from Krillin. Carefully, took off Trunks' bloodied jacket and shirt. Audible inhales could be heard as everyone on the scene was shocked at what they seen.  
  
There were numerous nasty bleeding wounds all around Trunks' body, some were terribly deep and large.  
  
Recovered from the initial shock, Gohan frantically tried to stop the fierce bleeding from the wounds but failed. He knew he must stop the bleeding or else the youth who had just saved the earth would die very soon. He covered one of the more serious wounds with bandages but the blood refused to stop.  
  
Suddenly, a helping hand came from behind and gently pressed on the bandage. Gohan turned and met the big bright blue eyes of Bulma.  
  
"Let me help." Bulma smiled warmly, "I have much more experience with this." and he started treating Trunks' wounds.  
  
Trunks felt a pair of gently cool hands smoothing his sore wounds. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw a familiar wave of sea-blue hair. His heart twisted in pain as he remembered the cold stiffened hand of his mother buried beneath the rubbles of his home.  
  
Bulma looked up and saw the blue eyes of the mysterious fighter. She smiled, "Don't worry, you are safe with us. But I believe that you should take the senzu bean. Your injuries are very serious and you have lost too much blood."  
  
Trunks looked at his young mother, his heart filled with warmth, *Mum is always so passionate to people, even to a stranger who she has never met before.* Trunks found it hard to look at Bulma's smiling face, *Mum, I am sorry that I left you all alone in your death. I will join you very soon...*  
  
Trunks lowered his head and avoid eye contact with Bulma, "Thank you for your kind advice. But I have my reasons not to take the bean. I am sorry..."  
  
Bulma's face saddened as she felt extremely uncomfortable watching a youth wasting his life away like this.  
  
She looked at Trunks for a few moments, "You look... somehow familiar. Have we met before?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
Trunks was shocked at the question. *You will not tell anyone, except Goku, who you are. Otherwise, we will never know how much of the history will be affected..." Trunks remembered his mother warned him.  
  
"No, no, we have never met." Trunks denied, closing his eyes in exhaustion.  
  
There was no exchange of words for the next 20 minutes as Gohan and Bulma were busied treating Trunks wounds.  
  
When they have finally finished, which could only slow down the bleeding, they were getting more worried as they found that they were surrounded by a shallow pool of blood. They helped Trunks to move to a clean spot, allowing him to sit leaning against a rock.  
  
Trunks was very pale and his mind clouded as a result of the massive loss of blood.  
  
*We must keep him awake. Otherwise, he may die in his sleep...* Bulma and Gohan had the same thought. So they started talking to him.  
  
"Oniisan." Gohan asked softly, gently shaking Trunks at his shoulder, "You haven't told us you name yet. By the way, how do you know my name? I don't remember anyone telling you that."  
  
Trunks opened his eyes, which came to focus after a few seconds, "I... I overheard someone calling your name. That's why I know. I... Hmm... I am really sorry that I can't tell you my name..."  
  
"What do you mean you can't tell us your name?" Piccolo demanded, "How do we know if you are a friend or a foe?"  
  
Silence.  
  
Gohan looked at Piccolo and Trunks, trying to change the subject, "Oniisan, how do you know my father? Have you met him before? Are you a saiyajin too? I saw you transformed into a super saiyajin, right?"  
  
"He is not a saiyajin!" Vegeta shouted angrily. He stood away from the group, his arms crossed, "There are only four saiyajins who survived the genocide. Two were now dead. I and Kakkaroto are the only two left. There is no way he is a saiyajin! Who are you? Why are you here?" he demanded fiercely.  
  
"Can you guys give him a break?" Bulma stepped in and yelled, "He has just saved the world and all of us from doom. Can't you see he has almost given up his life doing it? If you still can't figure out who is your friend or foe, it is your own problem! Does it really matters if he is a saiyajin or not?"  
  
Everyone, including Trunks, looked at Bulma, eyes-widened at her words.  
  
The other Z-warriors quietly settled and sat down around the area. Vegeta and Piccolo muttered something under their noses and stayed away from the group.  
  
Bulma turned and winced one eye to Trunks, who blushed slightly and looked away.  
  
Trunks turned to Gohan, "I am sorry that I can't give you any details of myself. I have my reasons. But I can tell you that Goku-san will arrive in around an hour, in somewhere about 50 miles from here. We should get there before he arrives." as he tried to get up. But his limbs were too weak to support him and he started to fall. He never hit the ground as Gohan and Bulma supported him.  
  
"Let me carry you to the site." Gohan said as he supported Trunks on his back, with a helping hand from Bulma, "Just tell me the direction."  
  
Trunks nodded in appreciation, "Thank, Gohan." and they took off, with the others following closely behind them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~20 minutes later~  
  
Gohan landed gently on the ground, *It should be close enough to father's landing spot.* he thought as he set down the injured youth sitting leaning a large rock  
  
"Oniisan, we are here..." he said as his smile faded. Trunks' eyes were tightly closed and his face was as white as paper. Gohan reached to Trunks' neck and found only weak and irregular pulses.  
  
Wind blew across the area. Gohan shivered as he felt the chilly wind bit into his back. He found that his shirt was soaked with Trunks' blood.  
  
"How is he?" Bulma asked. She got a lift by Yumacha. Gently, she shook Trunks' shoulder, "Hey, wake up, smart boy. It is not yet bed time." she said smiling, but unable to mask her worries.  
  
Trunks slowly opened his eyes, disoriented. "Where am I?" he asked in a whisper.  
  
"Oniisan, we are in an area near tousan's landing spot as you have told me." Gohan said, "How are you feeling?"  
  
Trunks checked the time, "Goku-san should be arriving in around half an hour." He looked at the bright blue sky, feeling his life slipping away, *Just an hour... Just give me an hour and I will be with you... mum, please wait for me...*  
  
Unknowing the death thought of the youth, Gohan and Bulma continued to talk to Trunks, trying everything to help him to stay awake. Their worries grew as they found him to be more and more quiet.  
  
After a year-like long half hour, the Z-warriors sensed the approach of a strong ki.  
  
"Otousan!" said Gohan cheerfully, turning to Trunks, "Otousan is back! Oniisan, you are right! He is back and he is coming this way!"  
  
Trunks looked at the direction of Goku's ki, a flash of liveliness appeared across his dull eyes. *Finally... it will be over very soon... very soon...*  
  
The next moment, a ball-shaped spaceship thundered across the sky, and a minor explosion erupted near the group.  
  
The Z-warriors leapt to air and started flying towards the spaceship. Gohan, on the other hand, carried Trunks on his back and flied to the landing spot.  
  
The group arrived just in time to see Goku came out of the spaceship. The group, except for Vegeta and Piccolo, cheered at Goku.  
  
"His foretelling is true!" Krillin shouted happily, turning to see Gohan landing and settling the wounded fighter to the ground.  
  
"How come you are all here?" Goku was very surprised to see the entire group of Z-warriors waiting for him, "How do you know that I am going to land here? Where are Freeza and Cold? I knew they came to earth but their ki disappeared abruptly about an hour ago." Goku turned to Piccolo and Vegeta, "Piccolo, Vegeta, did you guys defeated the two monsters? "  
  
"Goku! Welcome back!" Yumcha shouted, pointing at Trunks, "This young man here told us your landing time and place! He is the one who defeated Freeza and Cold!"  
  
Goku approached the group, looking at the bloodied fighter, "I don't know you. Who are you?" he asked innocently.  
  
"What?" the group asked in unison.  
  
"But..." Krillin stepped forward and asked, "Gohan said that he is a super saiyajin, just like you. Are you sure you don't know him?"  
  
"He is a super saiyajin too?" Goku asked excitedly, "I thought I was the only one who can transform!"  
  
Having enough humiliation for not being able to transform to SSJ, Vegeta yelled, "Cut the bull, Kakaroto!"  
  
"Ok, ok." Goku smiled, not taking any offences, and looked more closely to Trunks, "You are in very bad shape. Did you have a hard fight with Freeza and Cold?"  
  
"No, otousan." Gohan said, his face filled with worries, "Oniisan was injured before he fights the two monsters. He didn't get a scratch from the fight. But he refused to take a senzu bean to heal the injuries."  
  
Goku was puzzled, "Why don't you take the bean? It will heal you almost immediately. You won't last long in this condition."  
  
"Goku-san." Trunks said, struggling to stand up, "I need to talk to you, in private."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! 


	4. Chapter 4: A new beginning

Hope For Life  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thank you so much to those who left me a review!!  
  
Kurafoxgirl: Thank you very much for correcting my grammar! I am sorry for my lousy English as it is not my first language. I will do my best not to hurt my readers' eyes with mistakes like this in the future. ^-^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 4: A new beginning  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hm?" Goku was even more puzzled, but he had a feeling that the youth was not a threat.  
  
"Ok, we will find somewhere private." Goku said as he carefully pulled one of Trunks arm around his shoulders, supporting Trunks' battered body. He turned to the group, "You guys wait here, ok?"  
  
Goku flew to an open area about 200 meters away from the others. He settled Trunks to the ground. He frowned as he took a closer look at Trunks' conditions, "I seriously recommend you to take a senzu bean before it's too late."  
  
Trunks slowly looked up, examining the saiyajin standing in front of him, *So he is the one mum always talk about...* the thought of his mum send another wave of twisting pain to his broken heart.  
  
"Goku-san," said Trunks, ignoring the offer for the senzu bean, "are you a super saiyajin? Please excuse my ridiculous request, but, could you please... show me?"  
  
Goku was surprised by the request, "Yes, I am. Of course I don't mind to show you." he smiled warmly and started gathering his ki.  
  
Abruptly, a powerful ki surfaced, creating golden waves of ki surrounding Goku.  
  
The Z-warriors watched in amusement as Goku transformed into SSJ.  
  
"Tousan has transformed into super saiyajin!" Gohan shouted excitedly.  
  
Piccolo was speechless while Vegeta felt a fierce fire burning inside him.  
  
Trunks looked at Goku, amused, "Mum was right... You are strong, very strong. Maybe you are the one who can save the world... the last hope... not me..."  
  
Goku looked at the mysterious fighter curiously, "Your mum knew me? What do you mean by I am 'the last hope'?"  
  
Trunks took a deep breath and winced slightly at the great pain from the broken ribs, "I would like to introduce myself. My name is Trunks Vegeta Briefs. I came from the future, 18 years from now. I am a demi-saiyajin."  
  
"The future? Vegeta? Briefs?" Goku asked in shock, "Are... are you saying that you are the son of... Vegeta and... Bulma?" he turned to look at the two from a distance, unbelieving, "I always thought the Bulma would marry Yumcha. I have never imagine Bulma and Vegeta will get together."  
  
Trunks blushed slightly, despite his massive loss of blood, "Yes, I am the son of Vegeta and Bulma. I will be born in about two year from now. But you must promise me that you won't tell anyone about this. Otherwise, they may never get together and I will never exist."  
  
Goku nodded with confirmation, unable to take his curious eyes away from Vegeta and Bulma.  
  
Trunks' eyes shone with determination, "But I am not here to tell you this. I am here to bring a warning to you."  
  
Goku turned and looked at the youth, his eyes serious, concentrated and ready.  
  
Trunks' eyes darkened, "Three years from today, two monstrous androids will emerge out of nowhere. They will start destroying the world and kill almost every Z-warrior. Gohan and I were the only two left in my timeline."  
  
Pain filled his sad blue eyes, "About two years before I come to this timeline, Gohan was also killed. I am the last warrior left." he closed his eyes as the stabbing pain overwhelm his heart.  
  
"Wait," Goku asked, "what about me? Was I killed by the androids too?"  
  
"No, you weren't." Trunks looked Goku, "You died in a heart attack caused by a deadly virus about one year from now."  
  
"K'so!" Goku cursed, frustrated, "How can this happen to me? I don't want to die like that! I really want to fight those androids."  
  
Trunks smiled weakly, "You are exactly the same as mum has described." He reached to his pocket and brought out the bottle containing the antidote. The memory of the icy cold hand of his mum speared into his heart, *Mum... I am confident that you are right about Goku-san will be able to save the world.*  
  
Trunks handed the bottle to Goku with trembling hand. Goku took the bottle carefully and looked at it curiously.  
  
"This is the antidote for the heart disease." Trunks explained, feeling that his mission had accomplished and his life energy almost burnt out, "Mum prepared it for you so that you can survive the heart disease."  
  
"Really? That's great!!" Goku cheered. His big smile faded as he noticed Trunks' breathing became shallower and irregular, "Trunks, hold on. Your mum is still waiting for you in the other timeline. You can't give up here."  
  
"No, she is not." Trunks lowered his head, tears threatening to escape, "The androids attacked us just before I come to this timeline. I couldn't save her in time. She is dead."  
  
Goku inhaled deeply in horror, trying to imagine the pain of losing the last of the family members, "Trunks... I... I am sorry."  
  
"Goku-san," Trunks asked weakly, almost in a whisper, struggling to keep his eyes open, "Can I ask you to do me one last favour?"  
  
Goku could feel that Trunks' life was dangerously close to its very end. He swallowed hard, "What can I do for you?"  
  
A faint smile appeared on Trunks' face, he closed his eyes, "There is a capsule in my pocket. It is the time machine mum has made. Could you please de-capsulise it and send me back to my timeline with the time machine? I want to die beside my mum... I don't want her to be alone..." as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
"Trunks! Trunks!" Goku shook the youth desperately, but no response.  
  
*I can't let him die like this! He doesn't deserve such a tragic death!* Goku yelled in his mind. He picked Trunks' limp body and flew towards the group.  
  
The Z-warriors were surprised by the sudden turn of the situation. Goku landed among the group, "Krillin, give me a senzu bean!"  
  
"O... ok." Krillin passed a senzu bean to Goku.  
  
"Come on! Swallow it!" Goku tried to force the senzu bean into Trunks' mouth, but there was no response.  
  
"Tousan..." Gohan said, very worried as he could barely sense the ki of the youth.  
  
"Bulma!" Goku shouted, "I need to borrow your re-generation tank!" He turned to Gohan, "Gohan, go to Bulma's place and take the tank back home! I will bring him there! Quick!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Two days later, inside Goku's home~  
  
Trunks slowly opened his eyes. The liquid in front of his eyes was making him uncomfortable. Getting used to the feeling, he slowly surveyed the surrounding.  
  
*Where am I? Am I dead? Is it what hell looks like?* he thought as he found himself in a very strange environment.  
  
He was surrounded by some strange thick liquid. There was a mask on his face, supplying the air he breathed. He was inside a tank-like container with a small window in front of his face. Through the small window, he saw the something outside the tank ... something looked very like home furniture.  
  
Puzzled, he concentrated on a bottle placed on a table. *That looks... familiar...* he thought as he searched his memories. He felt as if he was struck by a thunder as reality hit him, *It's the antidote I brought to Goku-san!! Why am I not dead?! Why?!*  
  
Rage filled his heart and his ki rose dramatically. Angrily, he hit the wall of the tank, creating a large hole on the tank. The liquid burst through the hole, pushing Trunks out of the tank.  
  
Trunks pulled the mask out of his face and tried to get up. But his limbs failed to support him as his injuries were not even half healed. He felt so weak that he struggled to keep himself from another black-out.  
  
"What is it?" Goku rushed into the room. He sensed Trunks outburst of ki. "Hold on! Don't move! You are still very weak!"  
  
Trunks looked at Goku, his eyes a mixture of rage and desperation, "Why are you doing this to me? Why don't you just let me die?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was the last thing Trunks had spoke for the last three days. Sitting in a corner of the room, he refused to eat or drink. He didn't sleep or move.  
  
No matter what Goku, Gohan or ChiChi did, there was simply no response from Trunks. He just stared at the emptiness in front of him, hoping and waiting for death to claim his life.  
  
Goku had hidden Trunks' sword and the capsule containing his time machine from the youth, afraid that he might go away and kill himself. Goku and Gohan kept a close eye on Trunks as there were several occasions that they could barely stop Trunks from killing himself with his own ki attack.  
  
Goku did not tell anyone anything about Trunks, including Gohan. But Gohan was more than happy to help his father to take care of the mysterious fighter. He spent a lot of time talking to Trunks, though he never got any response.  
  
On the fourth day, Goku went to the room where the two demi-saiyajins were, only to meet the worried eyes of his son.  
  
"How is he?" Goku asked, looking at the two.  
  
Gohan shook his head, "The same. Oniisan did not even move a finger. Tousan, we must do something soon. Otherwise, he may starve himself to death."  
  
Goku thought for a while, "I think I know someone who may be able to help."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Half an hour later, inside the Briefs' mansion~  
  
"Hello, Goku!" Bulma greeted the visitor cheerfully, "We haven't seen you since you arrived! How are you doing? Is everything alright? How about that cute little guy? Is he healed?"  
  
"That's the reason I am here." Goku smiled, "I need your help."  
  
Goku very briefly explained the story of Trunks and the reason why he was here, without revealing the anything about the identity of Trunks.  
  
"So, he is from the future." Bulma said, amused, "Poor guy, I can't even imagine what I would do if I lost everyone I know in the world. Lucky that you and Gohan can stop him from doing something silly. So, what can I help you?"  
  
"Something simple." Goku smiled innocently.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Half an hour later, inside Goku's home~  
  
Gohan looked at the tray of food put in front of Trunks, untouched, as usual. He sighed and took the tray to the kitchen.  
  
Just before he left the room, he sensed the approach of the ki of his father. "Tousan! Bulma-san!" he said as he saw Bulma walking behind Goku.  
  
"Gohan, let's go to the kitchen and we will see your mother has prepared for dinner." he said as he pushed Gohan towards the kitchen and winced one eye to Bulma.  
  
Bulma smiled and nodded. She turned and walked inside the room. Her heart sank as she saw thin battered figure of Trunks in the corner.  
  
Slowly, she walked towards Trunks, who seemed to take no notice of her. Gently, she embraced him.  
  
Trunks was shocked to see a sea of blue hair and smelt a very familiar scent of... his mother.  
  
"My dear," Bulma whispered to Trunks' ear, whose eyes opened widely, "please be brave and live on."  
  
The whisper of Bulma exploded like thunders in Trunks' ears. Slowly, long lost tears started pouring out of his eyes. He hugged Bulma and started crying, letting all the suppressed emotions to run free.  
  
He cried until he was so exhausted and fell asleep in Bulma's embrace.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~The next morning~  
  
Trunks woke up and found himself lying on a bed. He held his hand in front of his eyes to block the sunlight from a nearby window. He ran through what had happened in the past few days and remembered his mother hugging him and saying those words to him.  
  
"Was it a dream?" he murmured.  
  
"No, it was not a dream." came a voice from the door. It was Goku, who walked towards Trunks and sat down on the chair beside the bed, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"What happened?" Trunks asked weakly, "How... how does she know? You didn't tell her about my identity, did you?"  
  
"Of course I didn't." Goku winced one eye to Trunks, "I always keep my words. Not even Gohan knew anything about you. I just asked her to say those words to you. She doesn't know anything about you except that you came from the future to warn us about the androids."  
  
Trunks sighed in relief, smiling, "Thank you, Goku-san. I knew mum would tell me the same thing if she was here. I just couldn't get myself out of those thoughts by myself... It hurt so much..."  
  
Goku put an assuring hand on Trunks' shoulder, "I understand. The most important thing is that you got over it. Now you have to move on. So, what's your plan?"  
  
Trunks thought for a while, "I don't know. I have lost everything. There is no point for me to return to my timeline, not until I am strong enough to defeat those evil androids." his tired eyes looked out of the window.  
  
Trunks turned to look at Goku, "Goku-san, can I stay and train with you? I need to be stronger, much strong in order to defeat the androids. I will defeat those androids to avenge my mum's death and I will bury mum with this victory."  
  
"Of course!" Goku said cheerfully, "I would love to have a super saiyajin to be my sparring partner!"  
  
Trunks continued, "In order not to interfere too much with the history, I will not see anyone apart from your family before my past-self in this timeline is born, especially my parents."  
  
"No problem." Goku said, "You just stay here from now on. I will make sure no one will come near here."  
  
Trunks smiled with appreciation.  
  
"Oniisan, you are awake!" Gohan said happily as he went in the room.  
  
"Gohan," Goku turned to his son, "he is going to stay with us for a while. I am sure he can teach you a lot of fighting skills."  
  
"Great!" Gohan cheered, "So, oniisan, what's your name anyway. It is kind of hard to address someone without using his name."  
  
"Hm..." Goku hesitated, not knowing how to answer the question as he didn't want to break his promise with Trunks.  
  
Trunks smiled, "Call me Mirai, which means 'future'. I hope you don't mind having some stranger in your home."  
  
Gohan replied happily, "Of course not! Mirai-san, are you hungry? You haven't eat for four days already."  
  
A low rumbling sound from Trunks' stomach answered Gohan's question. Trunks blushed heavily while Goku and Gohan laughed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The End  
  
I hope you enjoyed the story!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! 


	5. Author's response

Hi there!  
  
I would like to thank all of you who left me a review! I am really grateful for all the encouragement!  
  
To Erica: I am sorry to tell you that I have no immediate plan to continue with the story. I am working on some other fics at the moment. I am not sure if I will continue with the DBZ stories. But if anyone who would like to write sequel(s) to the stories, please feel free to do so and please tell me about it as I would love to read it (them)! - 


End file.
